, 1887-10-05
TIE BOUNDARY.

tain sympathy In WdSnluSCOn, gone 10
Europe. to try amongst the Powers thereof
to arouse some interest in his claims to the
So-called disputed territory lying between
British Guiana and Venezuela, shews that
if this t'illustriouS" gentleman were pos
sessed of the power that Great Britain
possesses he would not exercise much for
bearance in using the power towards q
speedy settlement OF the boundary queS-
ton. He has taken up the role of the
injured innocent and has evidently brought
himself to regard Great Britain's claim to
the disputed territory as grOundlesS and
vevatious, and wicked enough to entitle
him to seek the loau of money and arms
from those whom he regards as Great Bri.
tains enemies. The right way to deal
with a man in his state of mind is prompt.
~ and decisively; and ifthe Ministry were
now to assume control of the "disputed
territory" they would be adopting the very
best way of disposing of a trouble that the
un~reasonableness, arrogance, and conceis
OF the Venezuelan authorities prevent be-
ing reached by any less heroic treatment.
In referring to the ~"dlsputed territory" we
include not only the land up to Schom-
burgk'S "fanciful" line Ito uae the Vene.
zuelan description of it) but the whole of
the watershed of the .Cuyuni inclusive of
its important tributary the Yuruari. The
question of the ownership of this last
named portion Of the boundary land, is
now being thoroughly investigated by we'll
known statesmen In England, and the
more it is gone into, the clearer does 1t
appear that the land unquestionably be.
longs to Britain, as part and parcel of the
territory coded to it by the Dutch in 1903.
The sheet anchor of Venezuela's claim to
the Yuruari is the fact that a nan named
Stiebel, said to be q British subject, who
was engaged in the gold mines there,
found himself surrounded by q turbulent
asSemblage of miners and camp followers
and took upon himself to ask the as.
slstance OF the Venezuelan Government to
MAINTAIN orGer at the mines,-a request
to which the Government acceGed. But
II the Yuruari belonged to the British
Government by cession from the Dutch,
as can conclusively be proved, this act of
~STIEBELs, although he was a British sub.
ject, cannot be held as q surrender by
Great Britain of her claim to the territory.
As late as 1867, the Government of British
Guiana exercised jurisdiction over Tupu.
quen, and it's to be remembered in the course
of the disputed question of boundary, that
the Tupuquen mining population to whom
the local Government first granted con-
cesSlOns, formed the nucleus of Athe pre-.
sent population of the Yuruari, all of
whom are British subjects with the excep.
ton OF a few German traders land some
venezuelan natives who, equally with
the British subjects, long to see the ter.
rltory annexed to British Guiana. The
claims of Great Britain to the Yuruari
nave been neglected too long; but it
Is not too late to assert ownership and
establish institutions for the dispensation
of Justice and maintenance of order.
With this valuable district included
in the Government of British Guiana
we should have q colony greatly increased
IN value, a largely extended import list, an
additional field of operation for our young
men, and a decided impetus given to local
commerce generally. The territory should
no longer be left to the tender mercies of
the Venezuelans, who do not hesitate
when they think proper, to confiscate
altogether the property of the miners,
or to tax them at a rate VIII ich leaves them
V".n "pO" eh~io mining transactions
AS colony We ought to bestir ourselves
to get full possession of what is our own.
And to this end we would suggest that
the inhabitants send on the British Minis.
try another memorial on @the Boundary
question, this time Sarging the inclusion
of the Yuruari discreet in the settlement of
Boundary differences. If the Venezuelans
think the possession of the MOUTHS of their
Mississippi, the OriMOcoeis necessary for
the maintenance Of their dignity, and q
concession in that direction would help